Les Miserables' astounding popularity: By the numbers

More than 60 million fans around the world have heard the people sing

The "Les Miserable"
(Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

What better way to spread Christmas cheer than with a heartbreaking tale of monarchy, poverty, and failed rebellion in 19th-century France, right? Well, that actually does sound like an ideal Christmas for thousands upon thousands of Les Miserables fans. And as they eagerly await the Christmas-day opening of Tom Hooper's celebrated film adaptation of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's massively successful musical — which is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's epic 1862 novel — here's a by-the-numbers look at the musical's enduring popularity:

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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.